A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a fire that damaged three homes in Jeannette early Thursday.

A fire at 824-½ Gaskill Ave. spread to homes on either side of it shortly after 4 a.m., according to fire Chief Bill Frye.

No injuries were reported.

The fire started in the rear of the first floor of the first home, Frye said. The resident was not at home.

Only a few feet separate the structure from neighboring residences, which allowed the blaze to spread quickly, according to Frye.

“The fire comes out the side, and it gets into the eaves of the one next to it,” he said. “When we pulled up, three of them were on fire.”

The exterior of 824 Gaskill Ave. was on fire when firefighters arrived, but they extinguished it before the blaze got inside. That home is vacant.

The fire got inside an upper floor of 826 Gaskill Ave., which is a duplex, Frye said. The apartment that caught fire was empty, but a woman was sleeping in the adjoining apartment. Firefighters had to force the door to wake her up and get her out, Frye said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze by about 6 a.m.

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